The Imitation of Christ

Publisher's Summary

This classic, second only to the Bible for religious instruction and inspiration, has brought understanding and comfort to millions for centuries. Written in a candid and conversational style, the topics include liberation from worldly inclinations, preparation for and the consolations of prayer, and the place of eucharistic communion in a devout life.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

I have purchased five different versions of this classic masterpiece, in audio or Audible formats, trying to find a version I really like.\

My favorite version (Logos Educational Edition, Bill Creasy) is narrated by Don Ranson, who sounds like an old, wise gentleman with wisdom and maturity, with a deeper voice, and no distracting accent. It also feels like he is personally familiar with the text, and is probably himself a strong believer in God and Christ. (I did not get that feeling with all narrators.)The Don Ranson version also contains fewer archaic English words & phrases (For example something like, 'Whatever thou willest, giveth that thy will be mine and me for thine, for thou art....' That type of KJV Shakesperian language, which is in the David Cochran Heath version. I couldn't listen to the Joe McClane version long enough to know.)

This one with narrator Bob Souer is my second-favorite. The reader sounds older and more respectful than the other three below, and he has a deeper, more impacting voice.

The narration by Joe McClane is my least favorite of the five. But maybe another listener who loves thick Irish accents will enjoy it.

The other version I don't like is narrated by David Cochran Heath, with a U.S. Southern accent, and a very light-hearted & cheerful tone like "everything's fine and I'm super-positive & happy." To me, this tone does not match the deep, introspective subject matter (and probably not the mindset of the 13th century monks who were the source of these meditations & prayers.)

The other version I tried is narrated by Sean Runnette (translated by William Benham). It seems average to me, neither great nor irritating.

I am still keeping an eye out for a completely modern version with no outdated language, which nobody actually uses in everyday conversations. The archaic terms are off-putting to most new believers and non-believers, and can be confusing or misleading. There is simply no need to keep speaking biblical scripture in Shakespearean English, just because the King James Version made it popular to do so, hundreds of years ago. Christ did not speak English at all, so any version in English is a translation; then why create a translation based on a version of the reader's language that is hundreds of years outdated? Christ did not speak to his disciples and followers in a form of Aramaic that was hundreds of years outdated - he spoke to them in the very language of that day and year when he was there.